Virat Kohli's comeback to Ranji Trophy for Delhi against Railways on Thursday (Jan 30) attracted a huge crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. While the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) had made all the arrangements for the safety of players and everyone else, a fan still breached security and ran onto the pitch to meet Kohli.
The fan, who came from the Gautam Gambhir stand as reported by WION's Jatin Verma from the stadium, ran towards Virat Kohli who was fielding in the slips. He went ahead and touched Kohli's feet before security arrived and took him away. Watch as it happened:
Fan breaches security during #delhivsrailways to meet #ViratKohli in #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/lggpWw3nBN
— Prashant (@journoinmaking) January 30, 2025
'Kohli, Kohli' in Delhi vs Railways
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also posted a video of a large crowd in the Gautam Gambhir stand. Kohli, during the match, waved to fans and greeted them for the warm support.
Also Read: Virat Kohli in Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy Match Score and Updates
"The fans have come out in huge numbers for the Delhi vs Railways match. The Arun Jaitley Stadium is buzzing," wrote BCCI Domestic on its official X handle along with the video.
India star Virat Kohli made his return to domestic cricket after 13 years when he took the field against Railways for Delhi for the first time since 2012. Railways were asked to bat first after Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni won the toss. Kohli was stationed in slips during early overs - a position where he fields generally for India in Tests as well.
Kohli is one of the high-profile players, including Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravindra Jadeja, to feature in Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams.
The participation comes in the wake of the BCCI making it mandatory for the players to play domestic cricket after the recent series losses against New Zealand and Australia in Tests.